Kensington Students Get Promise of Small Schools

By Susan Snyder, Inquirer Staff Writer • The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kensington High School's enrollment will not reach as high as a student group had feared, the district's interim chief academic officer told students yesterday.

The promise came during a meeting, held after students staged two separate rallies to urge the Philadelphia School District to keep three small high schools at Kensington and create two more at Olney.

Members of Youth United for Change protested the district's intention to increase the size of three smaller high schools operating at what used to be Kensington High.

And they, along with other groups, called for the district to affirm support for creating a total of four small high schools at Olney High, which is currently split into two schools.

The group met yesterday afternoon with Cassandra W. Jones, the district's interim chief academic officer, to discuss Kensington.

The group said they had been told that original projections called for nearly 2,000 students to attend the campus in September, which could increase each school to well over 600 students. Small schools work best with 400 students, the group asserts.

Jones, however, said the enrollment would not reach that high. Some ninth graders will attend other schools, she said.

Youth United for Change members said they were encouraged by discussion at the meeting and plan to meet again with Jones in two weeks.

"We told them our plans, and they explained to us their plans. We're trying to come to a solution that benefits everyone," said Joacim Fuentes, a 10th grader at the Kensington Culinary School.

In addition to the culinary school, Kensington houses a business school and a creative and performing arts school.

The group did not discuss the Olney High situation with Jones.